Coffee Rose Eye Serum (for dark circles + puffiness)
Learn how to make a homemade coffee eye serum recipe that can be helpful for dark circles and puffy skin under your eyes. As a bonus, the caffeine in coffee helps prevent signs of aging due to UV rays.
This DIY caffeine eye serum formula was discovered within the pages of the Botanical Skin Care Recipe Book.
It’s beautifully illustrated and filled to the brim with 194 (!!) tried and tested herbal recipes.
I love that the recipes use natural ingredients and are very user friendly for beginners, but at the same time, inspiring for more experienced home herbalists as well!
The folks over at the Herbal Academy who created the book were super nice when I asked, and let me share a recipe with you today. It was hard to choose just one, but I finally settled on this sweet little eye serum.
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Why use coffee under your eyes?
So what exactly does coffee do for your eyes, and why you would put in an eye serum?
Interestingly, the caffeine in coffee improves blood circulation when applied topically and acts to reduce swelling. As a result, it diminishes the appearance of dark eye circles and relieves puffiness.
It’s also loaded with antioxidants that help protect skin from premature aging due to UV rays.
Coffee Rose Undereye Serum Recipe
- 2 tbsp organic coffee (Coffea spp.) bean, coarsely ground
- 1 tbsp dried rose (Rosa spp.) petals
- 4 tbsp (2 fl oz) sweet almond oil or jojoba oil (I used organic apricot kernel oil)
- 2 tbsp (1 fl oz) rosehip seed oil
A few tips for this recipe:
Rose petals are cooling and anti-inflammatory, so they pair nicely with coffee, but if you don’t have any, they can be left out of the recipe.
To make straining easier, consider first sealing the coffee/roses in a press and seal tea bag.
You can use other carrier oils based on personal preference and skin type, but be sure they’re light and absorb in quickly – good choices include jojoba, rosehip seed, sweet almond, apricot kernel, grapeseed, rice bran, and fractionated coconut oil.
Directions to Make
- Place the coffee grounds and dried rose petals in an 8-ounce heatproof glass canning/jelly jar. (Like THESE.)
- Pour the sweet almond (or jojoba or apricot kernel) oil into the jar and stir well.
- Place the jar into a small saucepan filled with a few inches of water, forming a makeshift double boiler.
- Heat the pan over a low burner for one to two hours. If you don’t use a tea bag, the oil will look very sludgy at first.
- As an alternative infusing option: Cover the jar containing the oil and coffee/rose petals with a lid. Instead of heating, tuck the jar in a cupboard for 3 or 4 weeks, shaking every day or two, or as often as you remember.
- Strain the richly scented oil through a fine mesh strainer to remove most of the coffee grounds and the spent rose petals.
- If your oil still has some scratchy coffee bits in it, let the oil settle for several hours, before pouring through cheesecloth into a fresh jar, leaving the layer of sediment behind in the original jar.
- Once the coffee oil is room temperature, stir in the rosehip seed oil and mix well.
- Transfer to a dropper bottle or roller ball applicator.
- Label and store in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.
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How to Use Coffee Eye Serum
Use daily, using your ring finger or pinky to gently dab a few drops of serum under your eyes each morning and night before bed. You only need a small amount to be effective!
Topical caffeine is especially helpful for eye bags, puffiness, tired eyes, dark eye circles, and is also nice for daily anti-aging use before applying makeup.
Sources & Further Reading:
Herman A. and A P Herman. Caffeine’s mechanisms of action and its cosmetic use. Skin Pharmacology & Physiology; 2013;26(1):8-14. doi: 10.1159/000343174. Epub 2012 Oct 11.
Vrcek, Ivan et al. Infraorbital Dark Circles: A Review of the Pathogenesis, Evaluation and Treatment. Journal of Cutaneous & Aesthetic Surgery; 2016 Apr-Jun; 9(2): 65–72.
Coffee Rose Eye Serum
Equipment
- 1 half-pint (8 oz) heatproof canning jar
- optional: a press and seal teabag to make the straining process neater
- small saucepan with several inches of water in it, for infusing
- fine mesh sieve, possibly lined with cheesecloth to catch finer bits of coffee
- small glass bottles (enough to hold around 3 ounces of serum)
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp coffee, coarsely ground
- 1 tbsp dried rose petals
- 4 tbsp oil, such as sweet almond, apricot kernel, or jojoba
- 2 tbsp rosehip seed oil
Instructions
- Place the coffee grounds and dried rose petals in an 8-ounce heatproof glass canning/jelly jar.
- Pour the sweet almond (or jojoba or apricot kernel) oil into the jar and stir well.
- Place the jar into a small saucepan filled with a few inches of water, forming a makeshift double boiler.
- Heat the pan over a low burner for one to two hours. If you don’t use a tea bag, the oil will look very sludgy at first.
- As an alternative infusing option: Cover the jar containing the oil and coffee/rose petals with a lid. Instead of heating, tuck the jar in a cupboard for 3 or 4 weeks, shaking every day or two, or as often as you remember.
- Strain the richly scented oil through a fine mesh strainer to remove most of the coffee grounds and the spent rose petals. You may need to line the strainer with cheesecloth to catch the finer grounds.
- If your oil still has some scratchy coffee bits in it, let the oil settle for several hours, before pouring through cheesecloth into a fresh jar, leaving the layer of sediment behind in the original jar.
- Once the coffee oil is room temperature, stir in the rosehip seed oil and mix well.
- Transfer to a dropper bottle or roller ball applicator.
- Label and store in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.
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Can you please share what you like about it??
Hi Lauretta! It definitely helps with fine lines around the eyes. I don’t have strong dark circles under my eyes, so don’t have feedback on that potential benefit, but plan to give some to a few relatives who struggle with that & I’ll see what they think! :)
Oh I’m going to try this since I have all the ingredients. Sounds lovely.
Hi Jeanne! It is very lovely, I’m happy I was able to make some – I hope you enjoy the recipe too! :)
Hi, please can I ask what the coffee does in this recipe?
Thanks
Hi Sasha! Coffee is reported to have properties that reduce puffiness (bags under your eyes) and the appearance of dark circles, so is sometimes added to eye products. :)
Do you think this recipe could be modified to prepare in an instant pot? If so how?
Hi Priscilla, That’s such an interesting idea! I’ve seen some herbalists use an Instant Pot to infuse oils, though haven’t tried it myself. If you give it a try, let us know how it goes! :)
https://joybileefarm.com/instant-pot-for-herbal-medicine/
EVEN THOUGH I AM VISUALLY IMPAIRED BY AN IMMUNE DISEASE, I READ WHAT I CAN AND ENJY YOU NEWS LETTER SO MUCH.
Hi Pat! Thank you for following along with the newsletter! I’m happy to hear you enjoy it! <3
Hi Jan,
As always, thank you for the lovely recipe. When infusing coffee in oils, I always place my coffee in a paper filter and tie it with a rubber band or string. Once the infusing is complete, I simply squeeze out the bundle and discard it. No messy grounds left behind.
Hi Ellen, Thank you for sharing such a wonderful idea! I’m going to definitely try that next time – thank you!! <3
Hi Jan,
Thank you for sharing this recipe <3.
I have rose infused sunflower oil. Do you think I can replace S.A. Oil or Jojoba Oil with it? I wonder if it will affect the end result.
Thanks.
Hi Anji! Sunflower oil is so lovely, especially for dry skin! It is a bit “heavy” though and won’t sink into your skin as quickly as sweet almond or jojoba oil, so it will affect the end result. If you don’t have sweet almond or jojoba or apricot kernel, you could try something else light and quick-absorbing (grapeseed, argan, safflower…). :)
Hi Jan
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I made it 2 days ago using jojoba oil and I love it.
Maria
Yay! I’m so happy to hear you like the recipe! :)
Hi, Can I replace the sweet almond oil with Camelia oil?
Hi Honie! Yes, I believe so – that sounds like a nice substitution! :)
Hi Jan –
This serum sounds lovely. I’m wondering about the caffeine level of the coffee. Is it possible to have too much caffeine? Will it hurt the skin? The average of a 12 oz cup of coffee is 145mg. But high caffeine coffee goes up to 1500mg/12 oz. If you can drink it (don’t know if I could) is it okay for the skin?
Hi Jeane, That’s such a great question! From what I’ve read, I don’t believe the amount we can extract at home could hurt the skin.
In this study for treating psoriasis with caffeine:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16249145/
They used a 10% caffeine solution, which would be 10 grams caffeine for every 100 grams of lotion which would equal 10,000 mg/3.5 oz.
The only side effect noted was some mild itching from the high level of caffeine & it seems safe otherwise.
“Conclusion: Based on the results of the trial, topical caffeine is an effective, safe and inexpensive treatment for psoriasis, with a delay in action.”
Hi Jan, I hope you and your family are all well, l follow all your wonderful recipes but due to ill health (failed spinal surgery) I’m unable to actually make them! I have really bad psoriasis which is extremely itchy and disturbing my sleep every night, l don’t want to use any more medication from my GP… please can you help me? My sister will help to make anything you recommend. Hugs and positive thoughts coming your way🤗 M x
Hi M, Thanks for your comment! Can you write this to hello@thenerdyfarmwife.com and we can discuss this more via email?
It’s easier to write back and forth that way, rather than the comments system. ❤
If you don’t hear a reply back within a few days, write back and let me know here. Sometimes the spam filters catch up our emails in the wrong spot! 😊
Hi,
This sounds like a great recipe. I have dried calendula flowers. Do you think these could be a good substitute for rose?
Hi Ece! Yes, I think calendula would be very nice in this recipe instead of rose! :)
Hello. Is keeping it in the fridge necessary from a preservation point of view? Or just advisable to help tightening the skin?
Hi Alexandra! Rosehip seed oil is usually stored in the fridge since it’s sensitive to heat, so keeping it cool can help with the oil’s shelf life.
If you replace the rosehip with another oil, then you could leave it out at room temp. :)
Hi, this sounds so interesting! Definitely want to give it a try! Is the rosehip seed oil an essential oil? Would adding Vit E oil help to preserve it?
Hi Sandi! Rosehip seed oil is a carrier oil that’s pressed from the seeds found within rosehips.
So it’s more of a liquid oil like sunflower, olive, etc, and it’s not an essential oil.
You could definitely add vitamin E to this serum! Vitamin E helps extend the shelf life of oils, so would be a great addition.
Hi, I am making this oil as I type! So excited to try it! If I add vit E oil as a preservative Hope much should I add, abs word it still have to be kept in the fridge?
P.s. love your newsletters and recipes!!
Hi Sandi! So happy you like the newsletters & recipes! ❤ You could definitely add the contents of a vitamin E capsule to the mixture. I would probably still keep it in the fridge most of the time though. 😊
Oh boy, I just realized I added the rosehip oil with the other oil sitting the infusion! Is it Garbage now? I could cry!
Hi Sandi, It will still be fine! Just tuck the infusion into the fridge instead of room temperature. The good stuff from the coffee & roses will still soak into the oils.
Then you can return to room temperature for a few hours when it’s time to strain. 😊